Guilt

Guilt means we are not taking good care of ourself. Guilt is wrapped up with insecurity. When we feel guilty we feel we are not good enough. We feel we should have known this, that, or the other. We blame ourself. We feel responsible for something that went wrong, whether we caused it or not, whether it was real or imagined. The habit of putting ourself down and feeling guilty has been with us from our childhood. Family dynamics has played a big role. Maybe explicitly or implicitly we were repeatedly blamed or shamed as a child. A guilty parent transmits this to her or his child. Overachievers have high expectations of themselves, and often fail short of the mark, feeling like a failure, activating guilt. Regardless of the causes of guilt, it is not helpful. It is not helpful for others and not helpful for us. In fact, it harms us. Being aware of our thoughts, feelings, and predicaments helps to uncover guilty feelings. Sometimes guilt is palpable and in our face. Once recognized, we have the possibility of reducing guilt. It takes time as this deep-seated habit has been with us for many years. Nevertheless, convincing ourself how dysfunctional guilt is, can help us reduce and overturn it. Recognizing guilt as excessive baggage carried around for years causing discomfort and anguish is the beginning of the process of letting it go. We do not need it anymore. We do not need it anymore.